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Down

Ally Blue (Goodreads Author)

3.56 · Rating details · 146 ratings · 48 reviews

Seven thousand meters below the ocean’s surface, the crew of the BathyTech 3 mineral mining facility has found something remarkable: a rock-like sphere of unknown material and origin.

For Mo Rees, the discovery calls to his inner explorer and adds color to his dull miner’s life. Even better than the promise of new knowledge is the unexpected connection he forges with Dr. Ar ...more

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Paperback, 295 pages

Published April 20th 2015 by Riptide Publishing (first published April 18th 2015)

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· 146 ratings · 48 reviews

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Jul 27, 2015 Sarah rated it really liked it

Shelves: library-books, fiction-horror

SPOILERS!!!!!!!!!!

13/8 - I'm expecting this to remind me of the movie Sphere, with Samuel L. Jackson and Dustin Hoffman. In Sphere what is believed to be an alien spacecraft is found on the bottom of the ocean. Upon entering the craft it's determined that it's actually American and from the future. On board they find a 'perfect sphere' that floats in mid air and has an apparently impenetrable surface which reflects everything around it except humans. Over time the Sphere begins to effect the moo SPOILERS!!!!!!!!!!

13/8 - I'm expecting this to remind me of the movie Sphere, with Samuel L. Jackson and Dustin Hoffman. In Sphere what is believed to be an alien spacecraft is found on the bottom of the ocean. Upon entering the craft it's determined that it's actually American and from the future. On board they find a 'perfect sphere' that floats in mid air and has an apparently impenetrable surface which reflects everything around it except humans. Over time the Sphere begins to effect the moods of the crew members, it invades their dreams and causes rifts that end in violence. I'm expecting a similar kind of plot with Down.

I'm only two chapters in, so only a couple of important things have happened so far - deep-sea miners have brought up a strangely smooth 'rock' found at the extreme depth of 7000 metres in a previously unexplored trench, and Mo and Armin (these two appear to be the main characters) have jumped into a sexual relationship within about a page and a half of meeting. That was quick and a little unexpected. I didn't really read the summary from the back of the book too closely, it immediately had a Sphere feel to it and that was enough to get me to borrow it. The instantaneous chemistry between Armin and Mo, as soon as they met, was a surprise. If I'd taken more notice of what was written on the back of the book I'd have known it was coming, not that it was an unwelcome surprise, it was just a bit abrupt. To be continued...

17/8 - Compulsive reading! The feeling of evil darkness slowly (yet quickly) creeping across the crew of BathyTech3 made the atmosphere thick with tension through pretty much the whole book, but it just got thicker with every cliff hanger chapter ending through the last 150 or so pages. A couple of nights ago (while I was in the middle of reading The Deep) I watched the movie Mission to Mars with Gary Sinise and Tim Robbins and realised that I'm terrified by the idea of being surrounded by any kind of atmosphere that is not conducive to oxygen breathing life forms - space or deep water. If you leave the safety of the oxygenated, pressurised environment that has been specially built to allow humans to survive in space and underwater then you will almost certainly DIE. No human can withstand the freezing oxygen-less atmosphere of space (spoiler for Mission to Mars), Tim Robbins sacrificed himself for his wife by taking his helmet off and his head (and presumably the rest of his body within the suit) froze in less than a second, he didn't even have time to take or release a breath. No human can withstand the massive amount of oxygen-less pressure that would be applied to the body at 7000 metres, one of the characters takes their helmet off while walking on the sea bed at 7000 metres and as soon as the helmet is off, long before he would've had a chance to drown, he is squashed flat by the pressure, almost like the impact a steamroller might have had if it had rolled back and forth over the body like he was pie crust dough that wasn't quite flat enough. The idea that a relatively thin piece of metal is all that stands between me and the freezing, squashing, dark depths of space or the world's oceans is enough to give me chills and nightmares. And that's way before terrifying fish with needle-teeth, purple glowy eyes and prehensile fins make an appearance.

I said before that I thought things got going between Armin and Mo too soon, I also think the ending was too short. Overall the whole book needs (and deserves, because it's a really great story) another 50 pages to flesh out Armin and Mo's relationship and to further explain the ending, especially Mo's eventual choice and what the mermaid fish's end game is.

Lastly, I want to congratulate my library on having at least one M/M fiction book. They got a bit bolder and branched out into erotica when FSoG fever swept the globe (I figured that was mostly due to advertising and local pressure), but I never thought the collection manager would be given the go ahead to include gay fiction in the catalogue. I always thought my library system was too old fashioned and stuck in its ways to be open to a book with openly gay characters who actually have sex (shock! horror! I thought I'd only ever be able to read decent gay characters in the occasional Kindle book). I guess I'll have to stop underestimating the Yarra Plenty Regional Library system, I'll expect even more from them from now on. ...more

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Jan 29, 2015 Karen Wellsbury rated it really liked it · review of another edition

3.75 really, not quite 4

The horror/ suspense in this book was great, one of my favourite films is The Abyss, and Down has this kind of feeling about it, as well as much more.
There is a real feeling of menace/ excitement in this book, and pace wise it really gets going, the whole thing happens over 2 weeks. This part gets 4.5 stars

The romance is less believable, for about the first 60% of the book it didn't actually seem important compared to the suspense, and I wondered what the relevance of Mo ...more

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Feb 17, 2015 Wart Hill rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: arc2015, netgalley

Things I Find While Shelving

I received a free ARC via NetGalley

So. That was super creeptacular!

Seriously. It was like. So. Very. Creepy. Like, the best eerie sci fi with wtf unknown creatures lurking in the darkness. Except in book form! Which. Hell yes! I really liked the setting - don’t get me wrong, I LOVE space, but deep sea exploration is also super cool and I love it.

So, the book is set in an undersea mining community. Like. SUPER DEEP. And they found something. That they can’t scan. Which ...more

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Sep 29, 2015 Tully Vincent rated it liked it · review of another edition

Eerie at places and quite original--the premise was interesting and the ending was enjoyable, especially how the last line circled back to the beginning.

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Feb 06, 2015 Cathy rated it it was ok · review of another edition

When you are halfway through a book and really do not want to pick it up again, it's time to say good-bye or start some rapid skimming. As I wanted to know how the story plays out, I skimmed a lot from about 57% into the book.

I really wanted to like this. I expected a mix of The Abyss, which I love to pieces, and The Last Days on Mars (Liev Schreiber, zombies on Mars, very creepy) and I wasn't that far off. The first 40% or so of the story were interesting enough, with some nice, initial story s When you are halfway through a book and really do not want to pick it up again, it's time to say good-bye or start some rapid skimming. As I wanted to know how the story plays out, I skimmed a lot from about 57% into the book.

I really wanted to like this. I expected a mix of The Abyss, which I love to pieces, and The Last Days on Mars (Liev Schreiber, zombies on Mars, very creepy) and I wasn't that far off. The first 40% or so of the story were interesting enough, with some nice, initial story set-up. I liked the two main characters. But I also had misgivings, a lot of them.

World building: The story is set in the not so distant future and we get some backstory about a black-out scenario in Dubai. Why is the story set in the future? Why did the blackout happen? What is the state of society? The setting in the future has no relevance to the story at all and is just an unnecessary distraction.

The relationship between the two main characters is interesting enough, although the romance is pretty much non-existent. If it was supposed to be an important part of the story, it could have done with some more fleshing out.

Sex scenes are not shown in the beginning, you get the usual fade-out of books with a low PG rating. Until about 40% into the book, when out of the blue there is a pretty detailed and explicit scene. I like explicit sex, but either you write descriptive sex scenes or you don't. Both in the same book does not work.

At that point in the book the writing suddenly started to get pretty uneven and scattered and I almost stopped reading. There was no real tension to the story, and unexplained leaps and holes in the plot, that had me going back whole chapters to re-read and figure out what I had missed. Action scenes were only talked about, but not shown.

You never get a feel for how many people are on board of the pod. You are told, but not really shown. During the course of the book people change and die and I had no grip at all, how many were left. New people kept popping up to do things, when needed and it threw me to read sentences like "Most of the pod is still confined to quarters." At that point I was surprised that anybody was left to be confined. They all felt interchangeable and did not get any backgrounds with the exception of Mo and his unexplained past in Dubai.

The scientific setting could have added interest, but also did not happen. They bring the mysterious rock on board and I would have thought you get some insight in what they do with it and maybe some technobabble, but nothing.

So, the beginning is interesting, but lacks character and world building. The romance is lacklustre. The sex happens out of sight with the exception of one scene, followed by nothing. Instalove with some sort of happily ever after. Some action, a little creepiness early on, but it didn't hold my attention through the story. Plot holes, leaps in logic, very meh experience for me. I am glad I made it through the book and read the ending, but if I had dumped it halfway through, I would have been ok with that, too.

I was debating between giving this one or two stars and finally chose two -- it is a good plot idea and there were parts that I enjoyed, even if the book as a whole left me diasappointed.

Free ARC, provided by NetGalley, thank you!
...more

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May 23, 2015 Kelly added it · review of another edition

Down by Ally Blue is a surprisingly creepy book! The setting is one of the least explored vistas on Earth, the ocean floor, seven thousand metres down. They might as well be in space. The BathyTech 3 mineral mining facility is pressurized and air-locked. Any trip outside requires specialised equipment, including an oxygenated mist to keep the miners’ lungs from collapsing.

The story begins with the discovery of a spherical rock that cannot be identified. On scans, the object disappears, as if it Down by Ally Blue is a surprisingly creepy book! The setting is one of the least explored vistas on Earth, the ocean floor, seven thousand metres down. They might as well be in space. The BathyTech 3 mineral mining facility is pressurized and air-locked. Any trip outside requires specialised equipment, including an oxygenated mist to keep the miners’ lungs from collapsing.

The story begins with the discovery of a spherical rock that cannot be identified. On scans, the object disappears, as if it were not there. Yet it can be picked up and carried. It exists. A team of scientists is called in to retrieve and examine the rock. They bring it aboard BT3 and weird stuff begins to happen. Seriously creepy stuff. Flickers at the edge of vision, whispering voices, and the feeling someone is watching. The auditory and visual hallucinations can be put off as just that until some of the crew begin to exhibit physical changes, fangs, claws, and purple glowing eyes.

When the changed crew become violent – as in partying with the guts of their victims – the connection between the horror and the rock is tenuous at best. But if the rock isn’t causing havoc, what is? This is the mystery that must be solved as one by one, much of the crew succumbs to the odd plague.

The story is split in to two points of view: Maximo Rees, a miner hailing from the streets of Dubai, and Dr. Armin Savage-Hall, one of the scientists sent to investigate the rock. A shared affinity for the mysteries of the deep brings these men together. For Maximo, who obviously had a rough childhood, the mining facility is more than a peaceful refuge. The explorer within can roam unfettered, appreciating the unique flora and fauna of the ocean floor and his natural curiosity makes him a natural addition to the investigative team when things start to go wrong. Armin is drawn to Maximo by that spark of curiosity, and the two men begin a physical relationship which deepens as they come to rely on one another through the days of horror.

For Armin, the mystery of the rock is an almost personal matter. There was another rock and another team – friends and colleagues – and no survivors. He is looking for answers to public and private questions. As the bizarre plague ravages the BT3 facility, he can’t help feeling partly responsible. Guilt is such a strong and interesting emotion.

I really enjoyed Down. As a novel, it met and even exceeded my expectations. I hadn’t expected the visceral horror, but it really suited the unfolding story. I did expect a little more romance, as Riptide usually publishes romance, but didn’t miss the hearts and flowers. There is a deepening affection between Maximo and Armin, and their relationship becomes important by the end of the story, but it isn’t the story. I liked that balance. This is science fiction horror, and when your crewmates are growing fangs and eyeing your midsection as if your intestines were a link of breakfast sausages, taking time out for more than a reassuring kiss on the cheek or a frenzied oh-my-God-we’re-all-going-to-die coupling would be unrealistic.

Also, I love that we’re seeing more books in all genres, science fiction, fantasy, horror, and paranormal as well as mystery, historical, and contemporary fiction featuring LGBT characters, whether there are romantic elements or not. Including these characters in our stories is a natural reflection of continued inclusion outside the world of fiction. I’m excited to see more books from LGBT publishers addressing this change.

Reviewed for SFCrowsnest. ...more

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May 18, 2015 John Inman rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Very cool book. I loved it. Spooky, original, sweet in places, scarier than hell in others. I'll never look at mermaids the same way again, I know that much. ...more

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Jan 03, 2015 Vanessa theJeepDiva rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: ebook, 2015, horror

Ally Blue’s Down was something wholly different than what I expected. Maybe the cover should have been an indicator (it’s rather disturbing and horror like), but there are clearly two men mentioned in the blurb (while there is romantic involvement the situation around the Bathy Tech 3 is clearly the story), and I received the book from Riptide (they do romance mostly). I was expecting romance. What I got was a horror, very creepy horror. I thoroughly enjoyed it. I wasn’t even remotely disappoint ...more

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Dec 30, 2014 OJ rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: bought-to-read, scifi, high-angst, paranormal

Make no mistake, this is a well crafted, well written, strong science fiction book which I thoroughly enjoyed and yet I struggled so with the rating for it.

The MCs, Armin and Mo, are well written and developed but that spark of sexiness was lacking. I know it wasn't a book with smexiness, but it could have had a couple of hot moments between them.

The rest of the characters are strong and the whole story carries out well, with one big flaw... we never really find out the why behind it all... what ...more

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Jun 30, 2017 S. rated it it was amazing

Shelves: rt17, science-fiction, horror, paranormal

Oh my gosh! This is horrifying and amazing and intriguing all at once!!!

The implications of what the "mermaids" are and where they are from (also what they are doing) is super creepy! This book is gruesome, bloody, grabs a hold of you and doesn't let you go... until you choose:

"Change, or die." ...more

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Mar 19, 2015 Susan Laine rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: joyfully-jay-reviews

4.75 stars. Down is not a romance. This is pure science fiction survival horror where the protagonists just happen to be gay. All but one of the sex scenes happen off-page. And that single sex scene is twisted and weird, pretty much dubious consent, showcasing how far off the deep end they’ve all gone. So if you’re looking for sex or sensuality, erotic or romance, look elsewhere.

The main characters are Mo Rees, a miner, and Armin Savage-Hall, a scientist. To me, their connection deepened too fas ...more

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Jun 26, 2015 Jacqie rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: netgalley, didnt-finish

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

When I read the blurb for this book, I was thinking something like The Abyss, Sphere, maybe even Starfish (Peter Watts)?

The horror component of the book was fairly decent. It was creepy in parts, and the sense of isolation many leagues down in the dark, cold ocean was well done. However, the plot was a bit disjointed. There was a secret that was kept for too long, and people who allowed themselves to be isolated inst ...more

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Jan 28, 2015 Reading Reindeer 2021 On Proxima Centauri rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: a1-i-own-books, a1-netgalley, 2015_april_judge-a-cover

Review: DOWN by Ally Blue

Exciting, entertaining, intriguing, riveting--and best of all, apocalyptic! A truly engrossing story of one of the few remaining frontiers--the extreme ocean depths. Set far into the future 22nd century, mineral miners discover a suspicious unknown "something" deep in the Pacific. It's not just unknown--it's earth-changing. The Gay element between miner Mo and theoretical marine geologist Dr. Armin is delectable and heartwarming. DOWN is a re-reader, and I'd like to see ...more

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Mar 08, 2015 Chris, the Dalek King rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: foreign-oceans, mc-pairing-mm, murder-and-mystery, nerds-and-geeks, science-or-magic-experimentation, techies, owned-ebook-or-audio, love-bytes, foreign-other, blue-collar

Mo has wanted to work in the deep of the ocean since he was a kid running around the blood-soaked streets of his home. And he loves being on BathyTech 3, working as a miner, even if the company can get a bit dull after months underwater. However, when something new and strange is found, and a group of scientist, led by Dr. Armin, come down to check it out, dull is smashed to peaces like a coke can at the bottom of the ocean.

But while Mo and Armin hit it off (and hook up) nearly moments after see ...more

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Dec 10, 2014 Adara rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Fantastic Leviathanesque deep sea horror story. Excellent world building of a futuristic society not too varied from our own. The whole of the story takes place within maybe a week. (view spoiler) It seems like such a short period of time to get to know the characters, much less for the two main characters to begin to like each other, but it really works, and you want them to mak Fantastic Leviathanesque deep sea horror story. Excellent world building of a futuristic society not too varied from our own. The whole of the story takes place within maybe a week. (view spoiler) It seems like such a short period of time to get to know the characters, much less for the two main characters to begin to like each other, but it really works, and you want them to make it out alive and together even though they know they're all doomed.

The pacing is wonderful and just what you would expect from a good horror, going from "well that's odd," to "that . . . nah, must be seeing things," to "What in the hell?" to "We are screwed," to "Even if that is the case, what do we do about it?" The beginning is all about the thrill of the unknown, the middle is the discovery and disquiet, and the end is a race-against-the-clock thrill ride you would expect.

There is quite a bit of violence mentioned in the story, though actions happen primarily off-screen and the reader sees the aftermath mostly. And while the publisher has "dubious consent" as a tag, I didn't really feel like that was the case, though technically I suppose it was. (view spoiler)

The ending is quite satisfying in its own way, though it certainly leaves us with questions, as a good horror story should. (view spoiler)

If it sounds like the sort of story which might appeal to you, then you will probably highly enjoy it. It does the genre justice.

(Sorry for the multiple updates. I had formatting issues.) ...more

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Feb 13, 2015 Elizabeth rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: sci-fi, horror, netgalley, mm, 2015-new-to-me-a-to-z

Originally published at West Coast Book Reviews.

Down is my first Ally Blue novel and I'm now a fan. I will definitely read more.

Down takes us deep, very deep, to a place where sunlight is no more than a memory and the ocean pressure will crush a person beyond recognition. For the men and women of BathyTech, however, much more waits.

I like Armin and Mo very much, particularly together. Theirs is a story of romance under pressure.

I also really liked that in addition to excellent suspense and tensi ...more

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Mar 19, 2015 Melissa ♥ Dog/Wolf Lover ♥ Martin rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy-all, netgalley-all, horror-gothic-etc

I would like to thank Netgalley and the Publisher for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

I have never read anything from this author before. I thought the picture on the front of the book looked really creepy and the synopsis sounded even creepier.

I think anything at the bottom of the ocean would freak me out anyway, but throw in some weird contagion changing people and that would just make it complete!

I wasn't too sure about the book at first because it seemed like the love interest ...more

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Oct 02, 2018 Pandora rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Shelves: sci-fi, fantasy, queer-mc, mm, sex-explicit, sex-scarce, physical-illn_inj_dis_ano, pet-death

It's pretty insta-lovey. The protagonists start with a several-nights stand, but they're having intense feelings almost immediately.
The characters in general aren't memorable.
Their behavior of the medical personnel in the event of a contagious outbreak is ridiculous. There are protocols for these things, you know? Well, they don't. People make the typical mistakes that must be made in bad horror, if everyone was smart and efficient shit would be too easily solved. Christ, most of the time I felt ...more

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Apr 24, 2015 Carole rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Shelves: wallbangers

I pre-ordered this on Riptide. Ally Blue was, till now, an auto-buy for me. I only glanced at the blurb, and assumed it was paranormal. Silly me.

It's a horror novel. If I wanted to read horror, I'd buy Stephen King.

I deleted it from my iPad, and threw away the PDF.

Yes, I'm pouting.
...more

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May 10, 2015 Whitney rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: paranormal

I liked this book. It reminded me a lot of Event Horizon. (view spoiler) All in all 3.5-4 stars. ...more

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Nov 17, 2015 Vivian rated it did not like it · review of another edition

There's bad, there's worse, and then there's this story... I look at some of these other ratings and it's like we have been reading different books. Or the bar is so low, one might trip over it... ...more

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Feb 27, 2016 Paul rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Not a bad horror it reminded me of Alien a bit

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Dec 13, 2014 Misty rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: lgbtq-mm, 2015-publ, paranormal, favorites-lgbtq-mm, horror-creepy, sci-fi-futuristic-postapoc-dystopia

Spectacular novel! I had a hard time putting it down. I really love the ending .....

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May 11, 2018 Alexander Shay rated it really liked it

Shelves: horror, lgbt

While I was happily surprised to find this on shelf at my library, that was probably the most satisfaction I got from this book. It's not bad by any means, and I loved the creatures and the science behind what was going on. It's clear Blue has thought out the process and the purpose, from the stones to the changing and everything between.
What kind of disappointed me was there weren't any surprises. Blue does a good job at setting things up so a reader wouldn't be angry over something happening o While I was happily surprised to find this on shelf at my library, that was probably the most satisfaction I got from this book. It's not bad by any means, and I loved the creatures and the science behind what was going on. It's clear Blue has thought out the process and the purpose, from the stones to the changing and everything between.
What kind of disappointed me was there weren't any surprises. Blue does a good job at setting things up so a reader wouldn't be angry over something happening out of nowhere, but I think it's so heavy handed that it takes away the element of apprehension. I had a pretty good guess about the things she foreshadowed, and if I was wrong, it was only ever about a detail or two.
The other thing was the relationship. I was doubly excited for this to be horror/scifi and a gay romance, but it's honestly not. This book should be read primarily for the plot, so I'm not taking away that much rating wise for the relationship. But after some casual hook ups, suddenly these two guys are in love with each other, and both of them seem surprised by this. At least one of them wasn't in it for a relationship to start with, but then they get super attached. There was a lot of hugging and kissing and 'don't be scared' comfort, which is fine in itself, but a) as the author so blatantly reminds us, this book takes place over about 10 days. Is it realistic for them to be acting like that after 10 days? and b) it was excessive, bleeding into my main issue of:
WHY THE HELL WAS EVERYONE SO CALM?
You have people on your ship cutting their eyes out and morphing into sea monsters and you guys are acting like it's just another day at the lab. Yes, you need to research and whatnot to figure out the cause, but not one of them ever screamed or cussed or fainted or anything. It was much too level headed for me to believe it.
I think this is where the book fell most short for me. I liked it, I wouldn't even hesitate to say I enjoyed it, but I wasn't invested in it whatsoever. Once I got 1/3 through, I did want to sit down and read it in one sitting, but it had everything to do with plot development and nothing to do with characters. I enjoyed the cast, but I wasn't emotionally attached to them in the slightest, leaving the "ending" rather flat for me, and the real ending as more of an ellipsis than anything else. Sure, a reader gets their HEA, but what about the rest of the world? What happens? The book is never really about the relationship, and then suddenly at the end it is. A very important thread gets dropped there, leaving too many open ends for a reader to be fully satisfied. ...more

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Jul 30, 2020 Tanya rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: sf, femalewriter, m-m-romance, horror, merfolk

A vision of vast black seas exploded behind Armin’s eyes—oceans spanning entire worlds, deep and crushing, cold as space. In that endless void swam things whose shape and substance defied description, whose thoughts cut like razor wire and left his psyche slashed and bleeding. [loc. 4671]

A science fiction novel with horror elements, set seven kilometres beneath the ocean's surface, and featuring a romance between two male characters. Mo Rees is a deep-sea miner, part of the team on the BathyTech ...more

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Feb 28, 2019 Sean Whatshisface rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites, spooky-fall-books

Absolutely loved this. It's always so refreshing to find a book that features queer characters as just a part of the story, not the main focus. The relationship in this book is not front and center, and honestly isn't really fully formed until 2/3 of the way through.

This is first and foremost a horror story, and what a great horror story it is! There were moments in this book where I literally got a chills -- and I consider myself pretty jaded to the genre. The tension is perfectly paced, with e ...more

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Apr 18, 2019 Suze rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Definitely somewhere between 3.5/4*
A chilling read about deep sea miners and scientists- and all the horrors of something going wrong at 7000ft down. And go wrong they do!
Armin and Mo got together v quickly - maybe we can blame the lack of dating opportunities at that depth!
Once strange things keep happening no one is safe - either from contamination or from those affected. Some gruesome deaths. Seemingly no way out. No obvious cause - beyond the ‘rock’ - for infection and who will or will not. ...more

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Jun 20, 2019 Hannah rated it really liked it

Shelves: horror, lgbtq, pride-month-2019, aquatic-horror

I picked this up because it was recommended for people who liked Into the Drowning Deep by Mira Grant. While I prefer that book, this book hits a lot of the same beats in interesting ways. I liked the premise and think the horror and science aspects were pretty well done, and I liked the characters. The sex scenes sort of smacked me in the face at first - I was expecting a little more of a slow burn, and the continuing romance didn't seem to make a whole lot of sense with all the horror bits hap ...more

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Oct 06, 2017 Esther Jones rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Well, that was chilling. Not my usual type of story, but very well done.

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Sep 21, 2018 Delia rated it liked it · review of another edition

It was good. There where some parts I had to skim through but overall not bad.

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About Ally Blue

Ally Blue

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Ally Blue penned her first tale at age eight, relating the breathless terror of her little sister’s not-quite-fatal encounter with a bee in the backyard. That was the beginning of a lifelong love affair with storytelling. She now writes gay romance of all flavors, and has recently branched into writing her first love: horror. She continues her neverending quest to scare herself. She is not a hippi ...more